PASSING WINDY, RAINY STORM NOT AS COLD AS PREDICTED; DRY, COOL TODAY

Christmas shoppers and revelers were lashed by wild winds and brief downpours Saturday as a short-lived Pacific storm rocketed through San Diego County, leaving downed tree branches and even a bit of snow in its wake.

The winds peaked at 70 mph in East County, where the upper reaches of the mountains are likely to get several inches of snow by this morning. The system will exit the county by early afternoon, when the Chargers host the New York Giants. Skies will be partly cloudy, with temperatures in the mid-50s at game time, says the National Weather Service.

The storm wasn’t quite as cold as forecast. But it produced showers across the region, making for hazardous driving everywhere from the eastern end of Interstate 8 to Interstate 5 in Oceanside.

The system was most notable, though, for its winds. The weather service says the wind gusted to 70 mph at Volcan Mountain near Julian, and to 51 mph in Julian. The winds also were strong at and near the coast, hitting 34 mph in Carlsbad, and 24 mph in Balboa Park, where large crowds turned out for the December Nights celebration.

Rain fell sporadically, giving way in late afternoon to a stark rainbow in Sorrento Valley. Most areas received a quarter-inch or less of rain, significantly less than was forecast. The weather service also said the mountains would fall far short of the 8 inches of snow that had been forecast for peaks above 5,000 feet in East County.